Short Answer Questions

1. What sound does Janice listen for as she feeds Rebecca at the beginning of this section?

2. How many hours was Janice in labor with Nelson?

3. What does Mrs. Smith give Nelson when Harry comes over to quit?

4. What is the name of the nun at the front desk of the ER?

5. What derogatory term does Harry use to describe Harrison's role on the basketball team?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Harry Angstrom is often little more than a lost child in the novel. He constantly searches for a mentor, someone who can simply tell him the right way. Write an essay about three people Harry looks to for guidance. How do these people come into his life, and why does he look up to them? What advice do they give him? Does it help?

Part 1) Marty Tothero

Part 2) Jack Eccles

Part 3) Mr. Springer

Essay Topic 2

The novel RABBIT, RUN contains much discussion of the elusive nature of faith. Harry struggles with the idea of the divine for a long time, unable to explain it to anyone, even himself. Write an essay on faith in the novel, in three parts:

Part 1) Ruth, an agnostic, is sickened by the church across the street from her apartment. How does Harry defend the idea of God in both her apartment and atop Mt. Judge? What was he raised believing?

Part 2) As Jack Eccles and Harry play golf, Harry explains the reason for his leaving home. To what extent is Harry's initial journey from his family a religious pilgrimage? What does he seek?

Part 3) Examine how the death of Rebecca Angstrom affects Harry's faith. How does he reconcile his notion of God with the senseless death of his child?

Essay Topic 3

Children play a strange and ambiguous part in RABBIT, RUN. They represent a primal state, one that needs and hurts in equal measure. Write an essay on the role of children in the novel, divided into three parts:

Part 1) In Harry's absence, Nelson plays with Billy Fosnacht at Mrs. Springer's house. How do the boys interact? What regulatory role does Mrs. Springer play in this situation, and how does this reflect an attitude toward children that no longer exists?

Part 2) What is Lucy Eccles' attitude toward children? How is it informed by her strict adherence to Freud? How does it place her into constant conflict with her husband?

Part 3) What role does Rebecca Angstrom play in the world of the novel? Does she bring the Angstroms together, tear them apart, or both?